A jailed Moroccan human rights activist and a group of organisations working to protect migrants in the Mediterranean are among the finalists for the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament announced on Tuesday.

Nasser Zefzafi is among three finalists for this year’s honour, which is awarded annually by the European Parliament to a top human rights defender from around the world.

The other finalists are Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, who was sentenced to 20 years on politically motivated charges and has engaged in long hunger strikes in protest of his detention, and a group of NGOs “protecting human rights and saving the lives of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea”.

The NGOs include SOS Mediterranee, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders International.

Zefzafi is a leader in the Hirak protest movement, which spearheaded demonstrations in Morocco's northern Rif region in 2016 and 2017.